Great Tips for Building your First Doll House!!

There are several factors that you should consider when building your doll house. You should think about how much time you have, what scale you want to produce, and what your budget will be. The more intricate and detailed that you decide you want to get involved with will really set the tone for the other two factors. Perhaps it would make some sense to consider what the end use will be. Is this to be used for children or grandchildren and might it receive some rough usage? Or will it be more of a showpiece that can be admired and passed down to future generations?

If it will be used by kids in general, then you want to choose materials that are heavier and can stand up to some abuse. Choose better quality materials for this type of house! Some people even use them to display their miniature which is perfectly appropriate!

After you have given that some thought, then consider the scale you want to use. Many miniatures are built on a scale of 1/12 which corresponds to one inch per foot. This is the most common scale and as a result there are many accessories and furnishings that are readily available. But if you choose to build a bigger dollhouse, you will have to look for larger components.

Next consider the size and shape of the dollhouse. I think the easiest choice for beginners would be a one story house with a one room cottage type. If you are more experienced and/or ambitious, you may consider Victorian or Venetian styles which are richly rewarding! But some of these will not have 90-degree corners and for starting carpenters this can present a problem! I would strongly suggest building your first house with straight walls and ceilings.

Some of the materials you will require are plywood (3/8” size is good for walls and roof), nails, staple gun, glue, exacto-knife, paint, sandpaper, fine gauge electrical wire and of course dollhouse furniture. ¾” thick plywood makes a good sturdy base to build upon and allows you to move it around quite easily! It is a fantastic idea to pick up a book on building dollhouses as well. Amazon.com is a great resource for this! You can now begin to take paper and pencil and draw out a pattern for the structure. A simple cottage requires a minimum of about six pieces for the three walls, base, and the fourth is left open to access the inside. The other two will become roof pieces. Don’t forget to mark out for doors and windows keeping in mind the overall scale.

You can cut the wood with a small circular saw or scroll saw for the intricate cuts. When working with very thin wood, an exacto-knife and straightedge seem to work best. For cutting out the openings, you can drill a hole in each corner and then use a small keyhole saw to cut the square or rectangle.

Assemble the walls and roof using nails, staples, screws AND glue. Use whatever fasteners work best for you, but it is the glue that will really do the job for you! Before painting, thoroughly sand any rough edges with a fine sandpaper. Do any touchups or modifications before you paint as this will be the final stage.

Lastly, you can purchase and place your furniture as you like. A good tip may be to wait on the furniture purchases until you see the finished dollhouse. You can then better envision what would look good inside.

Well that’s about it. Good luck on your project. It will be well worth your time and will build a legacy for you and your family!

Friends:

patio furniture clearance